Wanna Know a Secret?
by Quiet Screams
Summary: Boys think that girls are complicated, and Sasuke is no different. He just doesn't get Sakura. However, girls really aren't as complicated as boys think. According to Ino, there are just a few secrets that can make things a whole lot easier. SasuSaku AU
1. Prologue

Hello all! So, I'm running out of ideas for the fic that I'm currently writing, _Hiding Behind a Mask_. I've had this idea for a little while, so I'm using it to keep the ideas going and hopefully come up with something for _HBAM._ Well, I hope you enjoy this first chapter. Please review and tell me what you think! Reviews equal love. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. I also don't own any of these secrets. They all come from icons that were created by **xkenzx5 **on and belong solely to her.

* * *

The mall's food court was loud and boisterous, full of people talking animatedly over what high-fat, heart attack inducing food they were going to ingest. Ino leaned back lazily in her chair, taking a sip of her Diet Coke and watching them with slight interest. Ino always found mild amusement in people watching, especially when hot guys were involved. Right now, the guy standing in line at Panda Express with the pineapple hair caught her eye. Despite his weird hair, there was something in his lazy stance that she found really sexy. Let's not forget that he had a really nice ass.

_I wonder if I should go over and say hi_, Ino contemplated silently.

Ino put her Diet Coke down on the table decidedly with a glint of determination in her eye. She was about to get up out of her chair, but out of nowhere a girl appeared at his side and latched herself onto him. Ino sunk back down into her dejectedly and eyed the invader enviously. She was quite beautiful, but Ino would never admit that in a million years. Ino was sure that this guy could do way better than this girl who has hanging all over him.

_What a whore_, Ino thought cattily. _Could her skirt be any shorter? And what is up with the fishnets? Not to mention those shoes are definitely hooker shoes. And oh my God, cleavage much? He could do _so_ much better than that slut. She's not even pretty. Her hair style looks like a kindergartener's, her eyes are dull, and her body looks like a guy's._

"Ino."

That deep, smooth voice awoke her from her malicious thoughts towards the blonde with her arm linked with Pineapple Head's. She turned her head to face the handsome guy sitting across from her and staring at her with his fingers laced together in that brooding manner of his. Ice Princess was the hottest guy Ino had ever seen, even hotter than Pineapple Head. No guy could ever compete with his dark, piercing eyes, sexy, dark hair that hung in his face, and his very muscular body. Still, even though Sasuke was the epitome of sexy, Ino thought Shikamaru was mighty fine. Ino inwardly chided herself for thinking of Sasuke like she had before he had asked Sakura out

_God, I was such a fan girl_, Ino recalled.

"Yeah, Sasuke?" Ino asked distractedly.

"Could you stop staring at Shikamaru's ass for a couple seconds? You're supposed to be helping me here," he reminded her with the annoyance apparent in his voice.

_Oh, so Pineapple Head's name is Shikamaru. Wow, that boy is so hot. I wonder how I can pry that skank off of him…_

"First off, I was like so not staring at his ass," Ino informed, even though she totally had been. Sasuke snorted at this, but she ignored this. "Second, pull the stick out of your ass."

"Hn," was his only reply.

_Ugh, I hate it when he does that grunt thing of his._

"Anyways, you said you needed help with something," Ino reminded him in a businesslike manner.

"Hn."

Ino rolled her eyes exasperatedly and asked, "What exactly do you need help with, Sasuke? Or am I just supposed to guess?"

"It's Sakura," he answered coolly.

_Uh oh. This does _not _sound good. Is he going to break up with her? Is he going to ask me to do it for him? What an ass!_

"What about, Sakura?" Ino urged patiently, holding back the urge to start babbling all of her assumptions and questions.

"Well," Sasuke started slowly. Ino remained silent, knowing how much of a blow to the Uchiha pride asking her for help was. "I feel like I'm missing something."

Ino contorted her face into an expression of confusion, not totally sure what he meant. "I'm not quite following."

Sasuke sighed tiredly, just wanting this to be over with. "I try to make her happy, but I'm not getting something. I seems like I hurt her more than anything."

Ino examined him very closely, feeling surprised that Sasuke would be concerned about Sakura's happiness. It had always bewildered her why Sasuke had ever asked Sakura out. Not that she was unhappy for Sakura, she truly was happy for her, but Sasuke never really acted like he cared about her at all. He ignored her most of the time, and the rest of the time he was cold towards her. So to see Sasuke feeling remorse for Sakura's sake was quite monumental in Ino's mind.

_I should like have a camera to record this for future generations or something_, Ino mused.

"What would make you think you are hurting her?" Ino inquired, gently nudging Sasuke along.

Sasuke scowled at Ino, obviously quite impatient with her constant questions. _I just needed some advice_, he complained inwardly._ I didn't ask for twenty questions._

"She just seems disappointed every time I see her," he elaborated stiffly. Like I didn't do something or say something like she wanted."

Ino tried to think back on previous conversations with Sakura, racking her brain for any comments that indicated her disappointment with Sasuke. After careful thought, a flood of memories came back to her. Sakura had recounted several events where she had hoped Sasuke would react in some way but never did. Sakura had made Ino swear not to say anything to anyone, especially Sasuke. Ino debated whether or not she should tell Sasuke about this; unsure which would be the greater good. She took another good look at Sasuke, and that made up her mind; she would help the poor guy, even if it meant pissing Sakura off.

"Okay," Ino started off slowly, "wanna know a secret? Like actually a few?"

"Hn," Sasuke replied, seeming disinterested to those not paying attention, but Ino could see he wanted to hear what she had to say.

"Do you want to like get another Sprite?" Ino asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in bemusement. "Why?"

Ino let out a long sigh. "This might take a while."


	2. Secret 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. I also don't own any of these secrets. They all come from icons that were created by **xkenzx5 **on and belong solely to her.

* * *

_Ino sat on the bed flipping through the newest edition of Seventeen magazine with a bored expression on her face. The sounds of the Backstreet Boys blared from the iHome sitting on the nightstand that was right next to the bed. Ino glanced up from the article she had been skimming to see Sakura simply sitting on the floor with her magazine completely forgotten. Something was up; Ino could tell, and she had a feeling it had something to do with Ice Princess._

"_So," Ino said a little loudly, trying to talk over "I Want It That Way", "how are things with you and the Ice Princess?" Ino hoped she sounded nonchalant, but she seriously doubted that she did._

"_Do you really have to call him Ice Princess?" Sakura wondered with a slight smile on her face._

"_Fine, fine, Sasuke then. How are things going with him?"_

"_Great!" Sakura exclaimed cheerily. Ino, seeing right away that the enthusiasm in her tone was forced, raised an eyebrow disbelievingly._

_Ino shook her head at Sakura, clearly showing her disappointment. "Come one, Sak. Don't lie."_

"_It's just that…" Sakura started slowly, her eyes intently fixed on the carpet, "I wish he would hold me. Just once."_

_Ino threw her magazine aside and leaned forward, surprise completely written on her face. "He's never even hugged you?"_

"_No," Sakura whispered dejectedly. "I know he isn't a very affectionate person, but I can't help but wish that just once he would just wrap his arms around me and hold me. I know it's too much to ask of a guy like Sasuke; he just doesn't do the whole hugging thing."_

_Ino hummed sympathetically, letting Sakura know that she was listening and that she understood. She knew that all Sakura really wanted was Sasuke to show that he actually cared. It hurt Ino to see Sakura hurting like this, especially when the pain was caused by a guy. Ino got up off the bed and went to Sakura's side, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. Sakura gave her a weak but grateful smile in response._

"_Is it possible to love someone so much when that someone doesn't care at all?"_

_Ino gave her shoulders a small squeeze. "Of course he cares, Sak."_

"_Sometimes I like to think so. Other times I wonder."_

* * *

**Secret #1: **Sometimes I look cold just so you'll hold me.

* * *

Sasuke simply took a drink of his Sprite, not reacting at all to the information Ino had imparted on him. Ino drummed her fingers impatiently on the linoleum table, creating an obnoxious clicking noise with her (_perfectly manicured_) nails. Sasuke ignored this and continued to down the Sprite, irritating Ino even more. She hated being ignored, especially now when she was risking her friendship to help this guy.

_You could at least say something_, she concluded in perturbed silence.

"That's stupid," Sasuke responded finally.

Ino couldn't believe it. _This is the thanks I get?_

Ino was indignant, folding her arms across her chest irately. "It is not."

"Why would Sakura or any other girl do that? It's kind of pathetic."

This earned him a sharp glare from Ino. "Well, you're kinda pathetic," she snapped back lamely.

"I still don't see why she would ever pretend to be cold just for me to hold her."

_Oh my fucking God_, Ino thought. _Is he really that stupid? Aren't Uchihas supposed to be like geniuses or something?_

"I know this concept will be hard for an ice cube like you to follow, but please try. I'll talk slow." Sasuke didn't retort so she continued. "Well, _normal_ humans liked to be held; it makes them feel like that person _cares_ about them. So considering the fact that you've _never _hugged Sakura, held her hand, or given her any indication of affection, she thinks that you don't care about her _at all_."

"Aa."

Ino just stared at him in disbelief, not quite sure what else to say to him. Sasuke just looked back at her with a bored expression, not ever dropping the aloofness or acting like he cared about anything Ino had just said. She had told him what she knew; well, at least a small part of what she knew. Now he was discarding it like a useless piece of garbage. She wasn't sure if there was anything she could say that would make him realize how much his cold manner hurt Sakura. They both sat in tense silence, one wondering if this was even worth it and the other wondering if he was even worth it.

Ino couldn't take much more of the tension between them; she had to say something. "Would you ever hold her otherwise?" Ino asked him pointedly while staring directly at him.

"Hn," he replied, averting his gaze from hers.

"No, you wouldn't," Ino said, translating his grunt for no one in particular.

_She's right_, Sasuke thought reluctantly._ Even when she is cold…I didn't even hold her that one time…_

* * *

_Sasuke tossed and turned in his bed, squeezing his eyes tightly shut in hopes that that would help in sleep. His efforts were in vain; there was just too much on his mind. He finally surrendered to the fact that he wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon and opened his eyes reluctantly. He turned his head to the right to glance at the alarm clock beside his bed. It read two o'clock in the morning. Sasuke groaned at this, wishing desperately for the ability to just go to sleep._

_In defeat, Sasuke sat up and swung his legs out of bed so that he sat on the edge. Sasuke rested his elbows on his knees and placed his face in his hands tiredly. He knew that he wasn't going to ever get some sleep if he just hung around in his apartment. He got up from the bedside and stretched his stiff body a little. After a long yawn, Sasuke quickly grabbed a sweatshirt from the ground and pulled it over his head. Then slipping into his tennis shoes, he strode out the door, not bothering to lock it behind him._

_As he walked, he took a deep breath of the cool night air. Normally that calmed him down a little bit, but it wasn't doing anything for him this time. He let out a frustrated sigh and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his sweatpants. He continued in that bitter manner down the dark street that was lit only by the few street lamps. Most people would find walking alone like that eerie and almost frightening, but it didn't bother Sasuke. (__**Uchihas don't get scared**__). He followed the street until he reached his final destination: the park. _

_It seemed a weird place for someone like Sasuke to go. It was even weirder considering that it was two in the morning, but Sasuke could care less if it was strange or not. All he cared about was finding clarity, and this place had been the source of it for as long as he could remember. He walked over to the swings, which was where he always sat when he needed to think things over. However, he wasn't alone like he had intended; someone else was sitting on the swings._

_**Who the hell would be out here right now besides me? **__He wondered._

_He made his way closer to the stranger to find that it wasn't a stranger at all. It as Sakura; he was sure of it, even when it was as dark as it was. How could he not recognize her (__**the hair**__)? He was sort of at a loss because he had no idea how to react on this invasion of his thinking place. Should he just leave or should he just make her leave? Sure, she was his girlfriend, but it was his place after all._

_He never had a chance to decide because she sensed his presence. She turned her body slightly to face him and smiled genuinely at him. With her hand, she gestured at the empty swing beside her, and Sasuke reluctantly accepted the offer. Sakura didn't say anything like he expected her to; honestly, he had anticipated her telling all of her problems in full detail. However, she remained silent and only pushed herself back and forth with her feet. The only noise was the creaking of Sakura's swing and the gentle breeze blowing through the park._

_Sasuke glanced over at Sakura briefly, slightly intrigued by her silence, to find her shivering slightly. Sakura's eyes met his for a moment before she hurriedly dropped them, and a blush colored her cheeks the same color as her hair. Sasuke bemusedly raised his eyebrows, wondering why Sakura was shivering and also why she was so embarrassed. It wasn't that cold was it?_

_**That girl is way too complicated**__, Sasuke admitted. __**I don't think I'll ever get her.**_

_Sakura's shivering seemed to get more violent now, and Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. (__**If you are going to go out to the park in the middle of the night, common sense would say to bring a jacket**__). The manners he had been taught since childhood took over, and in an instant, he had pulled his sweatshirt off. He balled it up and threw it at her face, causing her to gasp in surprise. Sasuke rolled his eyes tiredly as she flailed around trying to get it off her face. Finally, she managed to pry it away from her, and it was sitting in her lap. She gazed at it tentatively, almost dejectedly, causing Sasuke to become exasperated. He was going shirtless so she wouldn't have to be cold anymore, and all she could do was stare at his sweatshirt._

_**I try to be nice, and she isn't even grateful. Ch, annoying.**_

"_I'll just take it back if you don't want it," Sasuke grunted._

_Sakura's head snapped up with a look of astonishment in her eyes. "Oh no, Sasuke-kun, I'm really am grateful. I truly am. Thank you so much."_

_She pulled the sweatshirt over head with a little struggle; it was much too big on her. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched her, knowing that even though she was grateful that there was still disappointment. He just didn't get it. He had done all he could to be nice to her and make her happy, yet she still wasn't content. She tried to hide it with a bright smile, but she was a horrible liar. The way her head sort of hung and her shoulders hunched over was a dead giveaway._

_**Why is she so damn hard to please? Why is she so fucking complicated?**_

* * *

"Well, it's not my fault," Sasuke informed Ino coolly.

"How so?" Ino asked, anticipating his explanation with a strange eagerness.

_This is gonna be good_, she scoffed inwardly.

"She doesn't tell me anything, and she is so damn complicated," he answered tersely. "How the hell am I supposed to know what she wants?"

Ino groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly. "Sasuke, I don't know if you know this, but you're a big boy now," Ino informed him belittlingly. "Do you really need her to spell everything out for you? If you would just pay attention…"

"I do pay attention," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

_God, Ice Princess is acting like such a baby!_

"Obviously," Ino replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

They both turned away from each other, both of them livid at the other. Ino knew this was going nowhere and was heavily considering just going home. She had better things to do then help this stubborn ass. She was starting to not care if Sasuke figured this out; Sakura could do a lot better than him anyways. If he didn't care that what he was doing was hurting Sakura, then he didn't deserve her at all.

With that, Ino resolved that she was through with trying to help him. She stood up suddenly, shoving her chair back a good ways back and causing a loud screech noise as it slid against the tile. Sasuke directed his questioning gaze back at her, but she didn't explain herself. Ino spun on her heel and was about to march off in a huff, but Sasuke grabbed her wrist with such speed that she didn't even see it. She stared dumbly at her wrist with his hand around it before deciding to put up a fight. It wasn't much of a fight though; Sasuke just looked bored out of his mind.

"Let me go, Ice Princess," Ino snarled in an almost feral way.

_Ice Princess?_ He thought crossly. _What the hell?_

Sasuke didn't release her as she demanded. "No. Not unless you help me."

"How the hell am I supposed to if you're acting like a pig-headed jerk?!"

His reply was typical Sasuke. "Hn."

_I think that translates to "I have no idea, but you better help me or else"_, Ino decided.

"Ugh, fine," Ino agreed reluctantly.

Sasuke let go of her immediately, and Ino examined her arm carefully. (_If there is a bruise, Ice Princess is so dead_). Ino grumpily went back to her chair and sat down, glaring at him from across the table. Sasuke smirked victoriously; Uchihas always got what they wanted in the end. This agitated Ino even more, and she lifted her hand and gave him the finger. This only made Sasuke smirk even wider instead of getting angry at her.

"Someone's PMSing," Sasuke commented smugly.

"Oh, just shut it," Ino responded testily. "You're lucky that I love Sakura enough to do this. If she wasn't so crazy about you, I would just let you fall on your ass."

"Hn."

_That grunting thing is really getting on my nerves_, Ino wanted to scream at him._ I don't know how much more I can stand of this guy. How does Sakura do it?_

Ino didn't reply because she honestly didn't know how. How the hell are you supposed to respond to a grunt, anyways? Pushing her frustrations aside, she reached for her Diet Coke and took a sip, but she immediately put it down with a disgusted look on her face. The ice had melted long ago, creating a gross mixture of water and Diet Coke. Ino pushed the cup away from her and sighed as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"So I just need to hug her more?" Sasuke asked slowly.

Ino formed an insult in the back of her mind, but she dismissed it almost instantly. She was way too exhausted to keep up with the banter; dealing with Sasuke's denseness was wearing her out. Before this, she had thought Sasuke's best friend, Naruto, was dense, but obviously, when it came to love, Naruto was way ahead of Sasuke. Naruto had no problem showing Hinata how much he cared; while Sasuke was so socially inept he had trouble asking Sakura to borrow a pencil without insulting her.

"No, you're focusing on the wrong thing," Ino pointed out.

Sasuke was getting frustrated with this. Uchihas were supposed to be fast learners. So why was he unable to understand this concept that even Naruto seemed to find so simple? Why did this whole being a boyfriend thing have to be so damn hard? Wasn't it enough that he had asked her to be his girlfriend? Didn't that count for _something_?

"Aa."

"This isn't about not hugging her. This about not showing her you care. If you keep treating her like crap, then I don't know how much longer she'll be able to take it. I mean, okay she does love you and all, but a girl can only take so much…"

Sasuke froze at her last sentence. "She loves me?"

_No way…_, Ino gaped. _He didn't know… He didn't know? Oh God, he didn't know. Is he really that socially retarded?!_

Ino shook her head in complete disbelief. "We've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

A/N: Hello again, lovely readers. Please review and tell me what you think. I really appreciate any feedback that you guys have. Until the next update! Quiet Screams out.


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